2016 Juried Student Show Winner
Campbell Grade'17 Artist Statement: Jag Tycker om Kaffe (I Like Coffee) The six paintings of Jag Tycker om Kaffe are painted using coffee because it is a non-toxic medium. Paint is filled with heavy metals and chemicals that are harmful to the environment and the artist. As the paintings age, conservators add layers of chemicals to preserve the quality of the work up to hundreds of years after the piece has been completed. In contrast to this emphasis on the conservation of art, my paintings of Stockholm are unable to be preserved. The paper will yellow and will deteriorate along with the acidic coffee. Jag Tycker om Kaffe, is in part an experiment because I don’t know how long the paintings will last. Will be one year or five? I do not know the long term effects the coffee will have on the paper and that is what I find exciting. We create things that we want to last longer than our lifetime such as the buildings in my paintings. They are built exactly how they are supposed to be with the knowledge of the required upkeep to ensure it will remain standing. The Royal Palace of Sweden, Sveriges Kungahus is over 260 years old; I think that my paintings will last one one-hundredth of that time before beginning to deteriorate. People will only have a short period of time to consider my paintings and the significance of temporary things along with the environmental cost of trying to hold onto substances that will not last forever. Ironically, the glass cases the paintings will be displayed in can protect them from harm and preserve the art at least for a month. Link to Proposal |